The Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District is in full compliance with all state and federal regulations, including federal bridge inspection and evaluation requirements.
The Golden Gate Bridge has one of the most robust ship collision protection systems of any bridge on the West Coast. The Golden Gate Bridge main span is 4,200 feet long and is supported by two towers on each end. The North Tower sits half on land and half in the water, and a large vessel would run aground before colliding with the pier. The South Tower, which is anchored to bedrock beneath the water, is protected by a concrete fender ring that extends into the seabed. The concrete fender is filled with sand, similar to a highway crash barrel, and is 27 feet thick at its base and 10 feet thick at sea level, providing significant protection against collisions. Here is an artist’s watercolor illustration from the 1930s of the South Tower pier and fender protection.
That said, in light of the tragic Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse, the Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District hired a consultant earlier this year to conduct an assessment of the South Tower fender system’s structural capacity for ship collisions. The results of the study will be submitted to the Federal Highway Administration.
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Media Contact:
Paolo Cosulich-Schwartz / Director of Public Affairs
Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District
pcosulich@goldengate.org